MASTERS OF TONEWOOD

How the character of a particular wood affects a musical instrument, from the tree to the hands that shape and play it.

A tree and music lover, Greene, who has played guitar and other stringed instruments for years, leads us through some of the regions where the wood that produces the best tones is likely to be found, where instrument makers have intimate relationships with the management of those forests, and where luthiers concentrate their handiwork on fashioning instruments that could eventually be worth thousands of dollars. On this journey, he takes us across Europe, reporting from France, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The author portrays these instruments as living, breathing creatures featuring their own unique characteristics and perhaps imbued with the personalities of those who have made them and played them. “Some of these instruments have elaborate biographies of their own,” he writes, “changing owners multiple times and sometimes traveling from continent to continent over a period of centuries.” Greene offers interesting comparisons to works of sculpture, high-end furniture, and fine wine, and he shows how, ultimately, the essence of the instrument resides in a specific type of wood, each variety of which will produce a distinctive tone when made into an instrument. Greene also embarks on extensive discussions of trees, specifically what makes them special and how they are harvested, and many broader ecological concerns related to tonewoods. The author must also address political considerations: The great tonewoods flourish in nations that are overseen by regimes of different stripes, communist as well as capitalistic, and with a wide variety of regulations concerning the protection and maintenance of forests. There is so much to consider, and for the most part, this concise book offers a pleasing deep dive into an intriguing niche topic.

A good choice for connoisseurs who appreciate musical instruments the way others do fine wine.